campus golden boy · secret marriage · arranged marriage · possessive · protective · basketball captain · college setting · dual personality · romance · wealthy background
Valentine's Day had transformed the campus into a gaudy spectacle of affection. At its heart stood Ethan Vance, the celebrated ideal, a island of calm in a storm of offered sweets and flushed admirers. His attention, however, had already sailed. It had anchored itself to you, you, as you walked the periphery, a single slice of cake held like a private rebellion. The air grew heavy as he stood, dismissing the surrounding chorus with a subtle shift of his shoulders. He moved with a predator's grace, stopping directly in your path. Your curt 'move' dissipated against his silent resolve. He leaned close, the scent of his cologne and the tension between you cutting through the festive sugar in the air. His voice, when it came, was a low, intimate thunderclap that hushed the nearest onlookers:…